Postexercise protein supplementation improves health and muscle soreness during basic military training in Marine recruits.

Elevated postexercise amino acid availability has been demonstrated to enhance muscle protein synthesis acutely, but the long-term impact of postexercise protein supplementation on variables such as health, muscle soreness, and function are unclear. Healthy male US Marine recruits from six platoons (US Marine Corps Base, Parris Island, SC; n = 387; 18.9 +/- 0.1 yr, 74.7 +/- 1.1 kg, 13.8 +/- 0.4% body fat) were randomly assigned to three treatments within each platoon. Nutrients supplemented immediately postexercise during the 54-day basic training were either placebo (0 g carbohydrate, 0 g protein, 0 g fat), control (8, 0, 3), or protein supplement (8, 10, 3). Subjects and observers making measurements and data analysis were blinded to subject groupings. Compared with placebo and control groups, the protein-supplemented group had an average of 33% fewer total medical visits, 28% fewer visits due to bacterial/viral infections, 37% fewer visits due to muscle/joint problems, and 83% fewer visits due to heat exhaustion. Recruits experiencing heat exhaustion had greater body mass, lean, fat, and water losses. Muscle soreness immediately postexercise was reduced by protein supplementation vs. placebo and control groups on both days 34 and 54. Postexercise protein supplementation may not only enhance muscle protein deposition but it also has significant potential to positively impact health, muscle soreness, and tissue hydration during prolonged intense exercise training, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for the prevention of health problems in severely stressed exercising populations.     

Compensation of large motion sensor displacements during long recordings of limb movements

In motion capture applications using electromagnetic tracking systems the process of anatomical calibration associates the technical frames of sensors attached to the skin with the human anatomy. Joint centers and axes are determined relative to these frames. A change of orientation of the sensor relative to the skin renders this calibration faulty. This sensitivity regarding sensor displacement can turn out to be a serious problem with movement recordings of several minutes duration. We propose the “dislocation distance” as a novel method to quantify sensor displacement and to detect gradual and sudden changes of sensor orientation. Furthermore a method to define a so called fixed technical frame is proposed as a robust reference frame which can adapt to a new sensor orientation on the skin. The proposed methods are applied to quantify the effects of sensor displacement of 120 upper and lower limb movement recordings of newborns revealing the need for a method to compensate for sensor displacement. The reliability of the fixed technical frame is quantified and it is shown that trend and dispersion of the dislocation distance can be significantly reduced. A working example illustrates the consequences of sensor displacement on derived angle time series and how they are avoided using the fixed technical frame.     

GIS-based Tools for Regional Assessments and Planning Processes Regarding Potential Environmental Effects of Poplar SRC

Based on regional stakeholder preferences and planning guidelines as allocation criteria for SRC, this study aims at providing a transparent approach to evaluate multiple environmental effects and the regional significance of SRC systems. Using the example of two poplar SRC-systems (4-year rotation, 9-year rotation) the potential effects on ground water supply, wind erosion, and biodiversity aspects are evaluated in comparison to arable land for two selected municipalities in the district of Uelzen, Germany. Building on fuzzy membership functions and simple fuzzy-logic rules, the qualitative multi-criteria assessment is transparent and easily to adapt. This approach is transferable to other regions and spatial levels, since it derives from commonly available data and scientific evidence. Results show that implementation of SRC could provide multiple beneficial environmental effects, especially in areas with low landscape heterogeneity. The tools provided allow for a multi-criteria evaluation of environmental effects, and reveal the sensitivity to distinct allocation patterns. Physiographical conditions of the study area implicate a preference for mini-SRC systems. This is supported by smaller decline of annual deep percolation water compared to maxi-SRC. On average, decline in groundwater recharge of mini-SRC (92mm a⁻¹) is comparable to irrigated arable land (80mm a⁻¹), which is common practice in the study area. Currently, the utilization of beneficial environmental SRC effects is quite limited, since only 3 % of arable land is suitable for SRC implementation regarding farmers’ preferences for SRC allocation. Allocation preferences could however change substantially with increasing incentives for SRC, e.g., due to regional bioenergy schemes or “Greening” initiatives within the European Common Agricultural Policy, which is to be reformed by 2013.     

Cognition,behaviour and academic skills after cognitive rehabilitation in Ugandan children surviving severe malaria: a randomised trial

Background  

Infection with severe malaria in African children is associated with not only a high mortality but also a high risk of cognitive deficits. There is evidence that interventions done a few years after the illness are effective but nothing is known about those done immediately after the illness. We designed a study in which children who had suffered from severe malaria three months earlier were enrolled into a cognitive intervention program and assessed for the immediate benefit in cognitive, academic and behavioral outcomes.     

Dissecting the molecular mechanism of drosophila odorant receptors through activity modeling and comparative analysis

To gain insight into the molecular mechanism of odorant receptors (ORs) in Drosophila species, we developed a Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) model that predicts experimentally measured electrophysiological activities between 24 D. melanogaster ORs and 108 odorants. Although the model is limited by the tested odorants,analyzing the model allowed dissection of specific topological and chemical properties necessary for an odorant to elicit excitatory or inhibitory receptor response. Linear odorants with five to eight nonhydrogen atoms at the main chain and hydrogen‐bond acceptor and/or hydrogen‐bond donor at its ends were found to stimulate strong excitatory response. A comparative sequence analysis of 90 ORs in 15 orthologous groups identified 15 putative specificity‐determining residues (SDRs) and 15 globally conserved residues that we postulate as functionally key residues. Mapping to a model of secondary structure resulted in 14 out of 30 key residues locating to the transmembrane (TM) domains. Twelve residues, including six SDRs and six conserved residues, are located at the extracellular halves of the TM domains. Combining the evidence from the QSAR modeling and the comparative sequence analysis, we hypothesize that the Drosophila ORs accept odorants into a binding pocket located on the extracellular halves of its TM domains. The QSAR modeling suggests that the binding pocket is around 15 Å in depth and about 6 Å in width. Twelve mainly polar or charged key residues, both SDRs and conserved, are located inthis pocket and postulated to distinguish docked odorants via primarily geometry fitting and hydrogen‐bond interaction. Proteins 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Cancer‐upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) overexpression induces apoptosis in SKOV‐3 cells

Cancer‐upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) was originally identified as a potential oncogene commonly up‐regulated in various human cancers. Recently, CUG2 was also identified as a new member of a centromere protein complex, important in the formation of a functional kinetochore complex. Presently, we report the pro‐apoptotic effect of CUG2 when this gene was overexpressed in the SKOV‐3 human ovarian cancer cell line. Apoptotic cell death mediated by CUG2 overexpression was independently demonstrated using cell viability determination, flow cytometry analysis, chromosome fragmentation assay, and the cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase. Moreover, activation of caspase‐3 and ‐8 and the cytoplasmic translocation of mitochondrial cytochrome c were evident upon CUG2 expression. Apoptotic cell death was also observed during early development of zebrafish when CUG2 was overexpressed in zebrafish embryo. We propose that high expression of CUG2 induces apoptotic cell death. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Comprehensive Analysis of Symmetric Arginine Dimethylation in Colorectal Cancer Tissues Using Immunoaffinity Enrichment and Mass Spectrometry

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is a major enzyme responsible for generating monomethyl and symmetric dimethyl arginine in proteins. PRMT5 is essential for cell viability and development, and its overexpression is observed in a variety of cancers. In the present study, it is found that levels of PRMT5 protein and symmetric arginine dimethylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues are increased compared to those in adjacent noncancerous tissues. Using immunoaffinity enrichment of methylated peptides combined with high‐resolution mass spectrometry, a total of 147 symmetric dimethyl‐arginine (SDMA) sites in 94 proteins are identified, many of which are RNA binding proteins and enzymes. Quantitative analysis comparing CRC and normal tissues reveals significant increase in the symmetric dimethylation of 70 arginine sites in 46 proteins and a decrease in that of four arginine sites in four proteins. Among the 94 proteins identified in this study, it is confirmed that KH‐type splicing regulatory protein is a target of PRMT5 and highly expressed in CRC tissues compared to noncancerous tissues. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of symmetric arginine dimethylation using clinical samples and extends the number of known in vivo SDMA sites. The data obtained are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD015653.